Melodi Music Ensemble
The Melodi Music Ensemble forms part of the Melodi Music Project, which was founded by Nimrod Moloto in 2002. The scheme is based in a church in the Pimville area of Soweto and currently supports students between the ages of seven and twenty.
The children start by playing recorders before progressing to instruments in the woodwind family, with the more advanced pupils receiving one-to-one tuition every week. The project’s teachers are professional musicians working in nearby Johannesburg, as well as visiting teachers from overseas who stay to work with the project for extended periods. The ensemble performs regularly, both in South Africa and abroad. In addition to their annual showcase performance at the Johannesburg International Mozart Festival, they have performed at the Baroque in the Bush Festival, as well as at numerous concerts, functions and community projects in Johannesburg. In December 2007, the Melodi Music Ensemble was invited to perform at The Hague Conservatoire and Amsterdam Bachzaal, and they also toured Germany and the UK with huge success, including performances in London (South Bank Centre), Manchester and Bristol.
"The streets of Soweto are vibrating with an enormous amount of energy from the children. Little souls playing on the streets ‘til late at night, always looking for something to do to occupy their minds. All they need is proper guidance. My aim is to provide the children with an opportunity to grow through music. I hope that music will be an element of their lives which can inspire them to become better people, regardless of whether they want to become artists, doctors, teachers or accountants. It is for this reason that Melodi Music Trust was founded."
Nimrod Moloto, Director and Founder of Melodi Music Trust